Although the incidence of tetanus in the United States has been decreasing during the past decade, several hundred cases still occur annually, in all walks of life and in all parts of the country.1 The current situation has recently been well reviewed by Axnick and Alexander1 who point out that, aside from the familiar hazard of tetanus after injuries and burns, there is still an unduly high incidence of the disease in relation to other circumstances, notably tetanus neonatorum.
Several publications on the management and prevention of tetanus have appeared within the past few years,2 including an exhaustive review by Scheibel.3 However, current literature and journal correspondence indicate that numerous areas of uncertainty persist regarding the prevention of tetanus. This status report attempts to assemble the existing basic knowledge on the subject, insofar as possible, and thereby to construct a rational set of procedures for the